Dear Kinsmen:

Spring has come to the Mohawk Valley and it is time to plan for the summer months. It is hard to fit all of the local historic events into the summer months. Our spring directors' meeting was held in May at the home of Bill Timmerman. We were going to hold the meeting at the church but it was too cold and rainy. The Snell-Zimmerman-Timmerman Family Reunion will be held on August 3, 2008 at Snells Bush Church. We are planning the usual church service at 11 am, followed by our annual meeting and our traditional catered luncheon. Again on Saturday evening, August 2, we will have an ice cream social at 6 pm. Last year's attendance was low and we are hoping for more interest in attending the reunion this year. If anyone has any suggestions of how we can make the reunion better and more interesting to families (especially the younger generation) we would like to hear your comments. History is an important part of heritage and the younger generation needs to be reminded of their heritage.

We are hoping to have a rededication of a cemetery stone for our Revolutionary soldiers buried in Snells Bush Cemetery. Some of the existing stones are getting hard to read. We have applied to the Veterans Administration for new stones for Peter Woolever and for 2 of our Hessian soldiers who changed sides and fought for the American cause: John Dockey and William Altenburgh. We could not find very much proof for the Hessians' service but they both became very important members of our Snell's Bush Church. John Dockey fought in the Battle of Stone Arabia with the Patriots. William Altenburgh gave valuable information to George Washington. If we get the new stones, we would place them next to the old stones.

The church will have some work done, hopefully by Reunion time. Three windows need new sills and we have made plans to have the bell tower and the church painted. The steeple top was completed last year. The interior of the church does need some touch ups where the paint has peeled. During the winter, the entrance to the church driveway, a culvert pipe under the driveway, was broken. Nancy called the Herkimer County Highway Department and they came up the same day and replaced the culvert. We now have a nice smooth entrance to the churchyard. "Thank You" Herkimer County Highway Department.

There are 8 weddings planned this year and we are receiving some dates for next year. We have increased the rental fees to get them appropriate to other wedding sites. These fees go toward the mowing of the grounds and cemeteries. This year, we will have 2 vacancies for Trustee. Please contact us if you are interested. We need your help and input, even if you do not live locally. The board meets early in May and October and at Reunion time. Join in our efforts to keep the church going. Donations are always needed for the church and cemeteries.
Cemetery work is an ongoing project. Brush and fallen limbs were cleared out around the lower cemetery and the back of the church cemetery. The evergreen tree needs to be trimmed and some stones need straightening. Volunteers are needed to help.

In the spring of 2010 the Palatines to America, a genealogical group will be celebrating 300 year of the Palatines coming to America. Their conference will be open to the public. Our Palatine ancestors originally settled in the Hudson Valley in the East and West Camps and then continued to Schoharie. When they could not get clear title to the land they moved to Stone Arabia and the Mohawk Valley. Now the descendants of those early Palatines are scattered throughout the country. We need to honor our ancestors who cleared the land, homesteaded, defended our nation against many different wars and created a great country, The United States of America, our home.

This year, the memorial at Battle of Oriskany Historic Site will be on August 6, 2008. Last year's annual program at the Battlefield included the Mohawk Indians for the 1st time since the battle 250 years ago. Attendees also were the Oneida Indians, the Loyalists from Canada, the American Militia reenactors, DAR and SAR members. Memorial service included wreath laying and musket salutes. The historian of the Mohawk tribe and other interested people decided to establish an organization called the "Oriskany Alliance". This group's purpose is to "provide a strong advocacy as well as financial and volunteer support to Oriskany Battlefield State Historic Site." This fall, the alliance will present an opera, "Molly of the Mohawks" which is a new work based on the life of the Mohawk Loyalist, Molly Brant and the Battle of Oriskany written by Augusta Cecconi-Bates. It will be performed Sept 4 at Earlville, NY, Sept 5 at Turning Stone, Vernon, Sept 6 at Watertown, NY, Sept 11 at Lowville NY, Sept 12 at Oneonta, NY, and Sept 13 at Rome, NY. For more information contact the Oriskany Alliance Inc 7801 St Rte 69, Oriskany NY 13424 or if you want to join: Oriskany Alliance inc, c/o Augusta Cecconi-Bates Secy-Tres, 33014 Mason Rd, Cape Vincent, NY 13618.

We hope to see you at the Snell-Zimmerman-Timmerman Family Reunion. If your immediate family has updates - births, marriages, death, new addresses - we are always trying to keep our records up to date. We have a few items for fund raising: church photo t-shirts $15, Christmas balls $5, pewter pins $5. We want to remind everyone to visit our website: www.szt-genealogy.org . Our "Thanks" go to Ray Kuehne and Bill Boller for their dedicated work on this site. Our mailing address is SZT Reunion, Inc. PO Box 623, Little Falls, NY 13365. We can also be contacted at sarahtisrael@hotmail.com, phone 732-828-3509 and ncioch@yahoo.com phone 315-866-3419.

Sincerely,

Sarah Timmerman Israel, Corresponding Secretary & Historian

Nancy Timmerman Cioch, President

The following books are available from the SZT Reunion, Inc. Checks must accompany orders and should be made payable to the SZT Reunion. Mail to the Treasurer, SZT Reunion, Inc., PO Box 623, Little Falls, NY 13365. For a more detailed description, please log on to our web site, www.szt-genealogy.org.

Books by David Kendall Martin:

THE 18TH CENTURY ZIMMERMAN FAMILY - 1994, 331pp. hard cover, $45 + S&H

THE 18TH CENTURY SNELL FAMILY -1982, 144pp., soft cover, $15 + S&H

THE 18TH CENTURY FAILING FAMILY - 1979, 2003, soft cover, $10 + S&H

Books by Carolyn Timmerman Sidenius:

DESCENDANTS OF LAWRENCE TIMMERMAN -1998, 204 pp., soft cover, $18 + S&H

DESCENDANTS OF DAVID TIMMERMAN -1994, 200 pp., soft cover, $18 +S&H

DESCENDANTS OF LT. HENRY TIMMERMAN - 1988, 344 pp., hard cover, $35 +S&H

DESCENDANTS OF GEORGE TIMMERMAN - 1995, 300 pp., soft cover, $25 + S&H

DESCENDANTS OF PETER AND ANNA KILTS SNELL - 1992, 325 pp., soft cover, $25 + S&H

Other books and pamphlets:

PALATINES ALONG THE MOHAWK Ada L. F. Snell, 1948, 2002, soft cover, 76 pp., $9 + S&H

WITH MY GRANDPARENTS Ada L. F. Snell, 1972, 2003 pamphlet, 40 pp., $3 *

HOMESTEAD NOTES Emma S. Timerman, 1971, 2003, soft cover, 28 pp., $7 *

THE WAR YEARS IN THE MOHAWK VALLEY Frank C. Bellinger, 1983, 2003, pam., 20 pp, $2*

FIFTY YEARS WITH THE FAITH OF OUR FATHERS Carolyn T. Sidenius & Edith S. Timmerman, 1988, 2003 pamphlet, 48 pp., $4*

AMERICAN PATRIOTS AT THE BATTLE OF ORISKANY Vera DeWitt, 1977, 2001, soft cover, 60 pp., $5*

THE LAWRENCE ZIMMERMAN PAPERS The Enterprise and News, 1939, The SZT Reunion, Inc., 2003, pamphlet, 32 pp., $3*

*Postage is included in the price of these 6 booklets. For all others please include $5.50 per book for packaging materials and postage.

OTHER RELATED EVENTS:
June 29 Sunday 11 am Independence Day Service - Ft Herkimer Church & Herkimer Home State Historic Site picnic, auction, musical entertainment.
www.littlefallsny.com/HerkimerHome
July 4 12 -5 pm Strawberry Festival & Art Show at Fort Klock w/ Tryon Militia .
July 20, Nellis Reunion will be held at the Nellis Tavern
Aug 2 Klock Family Reunion at Fort Klock
Sunday, August 3 Snell-Zimmerman-Timmerman Family Reunion at the Snells Bush Church. Saturday evening August 2 will be our annual ice cream social.
August 6 Memorial of the1777 Battle of Oriskany at Oriskany Historic Site.
August 10, Sunday 1-4 pm - General Herkimer Home State Historic Site program commemorating the Life and Death of Nicholas Herkimer & other activities - wheat harvesting, bateau & fur trader's exhibit, 18th century Palatine food, artifacts, music
August 17 Kilts Family reunion - Glimmerglass State Park, Cooperstown, NY
September 13 & 14 will be the annual craft fair at Fort Klock.
October 5 Herkimer Homestead Day: An 18th Century Autumn Celebration at Herkimer Home State Historic Site 12-5
December 7 will be St. Nicholas Day at Fort Klock. http://fortklock.org

For more information on any of the above, contact me. I hope to see you at the SZT Reunion! President and Editor, Nancy Cioch

F SNELL
R ZIMMERMAN
O TIMMERMAN
M P.O. BOX 623
LITTLE FALLS, NY 13365